The Funeral

by Matt James

Overview

A New York Times / New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Book
New York Public Library Best Books for Kids
Ezra Jack Keats Award Honor Winner

Norma and her parents are going to her great-uncle Frank’s funeral, and Norma is more excited than sad. She is looking forward to playing with her favorite cousin, Ray, but when she arrives at the church, she is confronted with rituals and ideas that have never occurred to her before. While not all questions can be answered, when the day is over Norma is certain of one thing — Uncle Frank would have enjoyed his funeral.

This sensitive and life-affirming story will lead young readers to ask their own questions about life, death and how we remember those who have gone before us.

Key Text Features
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Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1
With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7
With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3
Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.7
Explain how specific aspects of a text's illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781554989089
Publisher:	Groundwood Books
Publication date:	04/01/2018
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 12.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

MATT JAMES is a Toronto-based author/illustrator whose books include Yellow Moon, Apple Moon by Pamela Porter (New Mexico Book Award), I Know Here by Laurel Croza (Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award) and The Stone Thrower by Jael Ealey Richardson. Matt’s art for Northwest Passage won the Governor General’s Award. He also wrote and illustrated Tadpoles, Nice Try, Charlie! and The Funeral, a New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Book.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

The Funeral written and illustrated Matt James:

A New York Times / New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Book


New York Public Library Best Books for Kids

White Raven Selection

"Enveloping and original, James' authorial debut offers an honest exploration of a difficult and delicate subject. Exceptional."Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW

"James uniquely and playfully captures that particularities of a child's perspective."Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

"Witnessing the acceptance of varied reactions to death and the elements of memorial will help children prepare for or reflect upon their first funeral. A notable portrayal." —School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

"In his first outing as author, Canadian artist James examines the way the funeral of a distant relative feels to a child. . . . [the story] traces with a big heart the way she makes sense of this puzzling event."—Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

"[An] oddly exhilarating story . . . James ("When the Moon Comes") has an ear at child level and beautifully and convincingly shows us children . . . . who are full of life. " — New York Times

"Matt James offers a lighthearted — yet not irreverent — look at the rituals of death, through the eyes of a child. . . . Sweetly, gently funny and poignant at the same time, “The Funeral” is perfectly pitched to a child’s understanding. This uncomplicated story will also charm adults who recognize that being remembered is a gift." — The Washington Post

"Matt James's (I Know Here) quiet, child's-eye view of a funeral, with all its mysterious rituals and traditions, is a pitch-perfect introduction to a sometimes-difficult theme. . . . [A] graceful, beautifully illustrated picture book about death, customs and emotions." — Shelf Awareness, STARRED REVIEW

"This captivating take on a child's experience of a distant relative's funeral glows with feeling and joy." — BayViews

Praise for From There to Here by Laurel Croza, illustrated by Matt James:
“[A] low-key, emotionally true approach to a common and usually upsetting childhood experience.” Kirkus, starred review
“James’s naive style has an infectious, unfettered energy. Croza’s spare text captures the narrator’s feelings of displacement with poetic immediacy.” Quill & Quire, starred review

Praise for Northwest Passage as seen by Matt James:
“This stunning portrayal of early efforts to explore Canada’s Northwest Passage presents Rogers’ 1981 song in combination with glorious illustrations … Both realistic and allusive, these images are as haunting as the song. For U.S. readers, an illumination of a little-known history; for all Americans, a treasure.” Kirkus, starred review

Editorial Reviews

…an oddly exhilarating story of Norma's first experience of a funeral…Like [Judith] Viorst, James…has an ear at child level and beautifully and convincingly shows us children who fidget during the service and consider a mourner's hairy ear perhaps more than they think about the deceased. But they are not completely irreverent, just children, who are full of life.

The New York Times Book Review - Sophie Blackall

★ 02/12/2018
In his first outing as author, Canadian artist James (When the Moon Comes) examines the way the funeral of a distant relative feels to a child. Great-uncle Frank was old when he died, and Norma’s mother is sad (she “put a million kleenexes in her purse and checked her makeup”). Norma isn’t sad, however: she’ll get a day off from school and she’ll see her cousin Ray. Yet she understands that the occasion is somber, and she sits through the long church service patiently. James’s mixed-media spreads make the gravity of the occasion a backdrop for Norma’s liveliness. He paints her with her head deep inside her mother’s purse, breathing in “a mix of toothpaste and makeup and sweet warm leather.” After the service, Norma and Ray turn cartwheels; back inside, Norma sees a photo of Uncle Frank that “smiles right at her.” James’s creation isn’t designed to start a discussion about death. It’s more a story about Norma that happens to involve a funeral, and it traces with a big heart the way she makes sense of this puzzling event. Ages 4–7. Agent: Jackie Kaiser, Westwood Creative Artists. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Matt James’s (I Know Here) quiet, child’s-eye view of a funeral, with all its mysterious rituals and traditions, is a pitch-perfect introduction to a sometimes-difficult theme. . . . [A] graceful, beautifully illustrated picture book about death, customs and emotions.

Shelf Awareness

James uniquely and playfully captures the particularities of a child’s perspective.

Booklist

[A] book that gives young viewers a glimpse of the funeral experience but tacitly champions their right to process it in their own way.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Praise for From There to Here by Laurel Croza, illustrated by Matt James:
“[A] low-key, emotionally true approach to a common and usually upsetting childhood experience.” Kirkus , starred review
“James’s naive style has an infectious, unfettered energy. Croza’s spare text captures the narrator’s feelings of displacement with poetic immediacy.” Quill & Quire , starred review

Praise for Northwest Passage as seen by Matt James:
“This stunning portrayal of early efforts to explore Canada’s Northwest Passage presents Rogers’ 1981 song in combination with glorious illustrations … Both realistic and allusive, these images are as haunting as the song. For U.S. readers, an illumination of a little-known history; for all Americans, a treasure.” Kirkus , starred review

From the Publisher

★ 02/01/2018
K-Gr 2—A girl's experience of her great-uncle's memorial service starts as these things characteristically do—with a ringing phone and a mother's tears. When the day arrives, Norma is "practicing her sad face in the mirror of her parents' room. Though she was, in fact, pretty happy." The first clue that the narration will be an honest expression of her feelings (and that possibly she was not close to the older gentleman) appears on the book jacket. The title is painted in two colors: "fun" in yellow, "eral" in blue. For Norma, this is a day without school, an opportunity to see her favorite cousin Ray, and a chance to play in the churchyard—painted in life-affirming green and surrounded by pink trees. There are signs, however, that Norma is not insensitive to the day's meaning. She ponders her cousin's (unanswered) question: "Is Uncle Frank still a person?" A smiling photo of the relative prompts quiet contemplation. James incorporates a variety of page designs and media into his acrylic-and-ink on Masonite compositions, thereby creating richly textured, transforming environments capable of emotional nuance. The cardboard organ with Masonite keys and pipes exudes colorful, swirling sounds. Cut paper caricatures create shadows, adding depth. Dazzling abstract details are paired with evocative language to quietly undergird the spiritual dimension. VERDICT Witnessing the acceptance of varied reactions to death and the elements of memorial will help children prepare for or reflect upon their first funeral. A notable portrayal.—Wendy Lukehart, District of Columbia Public Library

School Library Journal

★ 2018-02-03
A young girl attends a relative's funeral and experiences familial customs of saying goodbye to a loved one.Norma's great-uncle Frank has passed away. While she practices sad faces in the mirror, the girl also feels happy, since she is missing school and will see her favorite cousin, Ray. These contradictory emotions, along with Norma's innocent questions, perfectly capture a child's point of view as the funeral procession winds its way to church and the sermon takes place. Beautiful moments mingle together—the smell of her mother's purse, dust "dancing in beams of light," the freedom of running outdoors. The illustrations, done in acrylic with ink, pencil, and some collage, skillfully represent the characters both physically and emotionally. As Norma considers what's expected of her and how she really feels, the artist is also on an exploratory journey, attempting different compositions, uses of paint, and mixed media. Simpler paintings evolve to include: a 3-D sculpture with expressionist marks; a large, expansive field where the children play; and evocative, haikulike, panel illustrations of Norma and Ray outside. (Both children have straight, black hair and pale complexions.) The purpose of the day, to celebrate and remember Uncle Frank, is realized as Norma authentically makes this connection.Enveloping and original, James' authorial debut offers an honest exploration of a difficult and delicate subject. Exceptional. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews